Get Safe Online – When Making a Purchase!

Online shopping is a trend which has been adopted worldwide. After all, there is every good reason to shop online. It is more convenient since you can make purchases right from the comfort of your home. You also have a wider variety of products since the next online store is just a few clicks away. In short, online shopping is a dream come true for many of us. However, with the rise in cybercrime, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get safe online. Hackers can steal credit card information and other privacy matters. They can pretend to be “trusted” websites such that you end up paying for a product on that site. However, such mishaps may be prevented by following a few tips when you engage in online shopping.

Update your security software

By making sure that your security software is updated, you significantly protect yourself during online shopping transactions. Your web browsers and the operating system which you use should all have suitable patches installed. By using a computer without proper security software for online purchases, you are more susceptible to frauds and cyber-attacks.

Use Safe Payment Methods

One of the ways to get safe online while making purchases is to use safe payment methods. Numerous issuers of credit cards have additional protection for online shopping. An example is the Visa Inc.’s Verified by Visa. This allows the user to complete the online transaction without granting access to the merchant to see the card number.

Use trusted websites.

When shopping online, it is always best to shop on trusted and familiar sites, rather than reaching sites through search engines. For example, Amazon is a well-known and trusted site where you can have peace of mind after carrying out an online transaction. The same does not apply to unfamiliar sites. Also, it is advisable to avoid sites with misspellings in their names or those who use .net instead of .com.

Check that the page is encrypted

When you proceed for the checkout on an online store website, you need to ensure that the web address does not contain “http”. Instead, it should contain “https”. Https shows that an encrypted communication path is being used in the transmission of your credit card information. The receiver of that information will thus only be the seller.

Secure Connection.

Always use secure connection when you shop online the easiest and the best way to defeat browser-sniffing, privacy hacks never use unsecured wireless network during online purchases because hackers can access your payment information if the network is not protected.

Use strong passwords

To keep your account safe create a strong password make sure your password is very strong that are difficult to guess and are at least 10 to 14 characters long consisting of a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols.

A Word of Caution!

When it comes to online transactions involving payments, it is always best to stay on the safe side. More than often, people are in a rush to make their purchases that they forget how risky it can be and the disastrous consequences it can have on their bank balance. Follow the mentioned tips to stay safe online.